The Sununu interview

By LISA KASHINSKY

06/07/2023 07:23 AM EDT

Presented by

With help from Kelly Garrity

SUNUNU SAYS SUNU-NO TO PRESIDENT — Chris Sununu's eyes flick upward as he sits in one of the two plush red armchairs in his office, sipping soda out of a blue mug branded with the state's "Live Free or Die" motto. There's a map of colonial-era New Hampshire on the wall across from him. Sometimes, Sununu says, he’ll jump onto the couch below it and start pointing out to visiting presidential hopefuls what places they should go and which people they should see.

"I did that with all of them," the Republican governor said. "I did it with RFK Jr., for goodness sakes."

In passing on a run for president, Sununu is setting himself up to play in his state's first-in-the-nation GOP primary in a different way: as kingmaker.

The popular four-term governor has been a go-to for candidates seeking advice on how to navigate New Hampshire — even when he was still mulling his own bid. And as the scion of a powerful political family, his word carries weight with voters in the state. Case in point of Sununu's power here: the governor said he heard from nearly all of the 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls in the roughly 24 hours after he announced he wouldn't seek the nomination, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who just launched his bid.

But Sununu doesn't always know how to pick them. His chosen candidates to take on Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster and Sen. Maggie Hassan last year both lost their primaries to Donald Trump-aligned contenders.

Sununu said in an interview that every endorsement has its limits. "I don't want to be so humble as to say my endorsement would be meaningless. Obviously, it would carry some weight. But I think it remains to be seen about what kind of weight it carries," he told Playbook yesterday. "If a candidate is two points down and I endorse them, yeah maybe that's enough to get them a win. Who knows. … A candidate really has to be successful on their own."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is showing early signs of embracing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Sununu says that he's in no rush to choose among "friends" — or lose his leverage in the primary.

"I might endorse, but not necessarily early," Sununu said. "I would wait to see how they do on the [debate] stage, and how they politick around the state. … I think everyone needs to start with the metric: who can win in November of ‘24. Most of them can except for Trump."

Here are more excerpts from Playbook's sitdown with Sununu, edited for length and clarity:

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu takes part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference on Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo

You’ve said you could be more candid about the candidates if you weren't one of them. How do you balance being friends with someone but also straight-talking them if they need to get out of the race?

It actually makes it quite easy because I can have good, honest conversations with these folks. … I want to be the sane, friendly advice from outside their bubbles that [has] no interest, that can give an honest perspective looking in … and say, look, this isn't working, or there's no path here.

Chris Christie launched his bid at Saint Anselm last night. He plans on running a New Hampshire-focused campaign again. Can it work for him this time?

It can. Chris is, I think he's a lot more relaxed now than he was in 2016. … He has a bit of a nothing-to-lose type of attitude, which I think is refreshing. … An individual like that, who has great name ID already, has the opportunity other candidates don't to go really deep, if you will, out into really rural parts of New Hampshire [earlier on].

Are you running for a fifth term?

Well, maybe, maybe. It's still on the table. But I honestly have only been thinking about from a political standpoint the presidential right now. … I’ll make a decision, you know, after the Fourth [of July] or in the summer sometime. … If I decide not to run, that's still plenty of time for other candidates to decide to get in the race.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Sununu's indecision on seeking another two-year term isn't stopping Democrats from launching their gubernatorial campaigns or Republicans from laying the groundwork for them, the Boston Globe's Steven Porter reports.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and legislative leaders attend a Pride Month celebration at 11 a.m. at the State House and swear in John Moran and Bill MacGregor as state representatives at 12:30 p.m. in the governor's ceremonial office. Driscoll participates in a fireside chat at the BIO International Convention at 10:45 a.m. at the BCEC and chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon. Senate President Karen Spilka and state Sen. Jo Comerford host NYT bestselling author Heather McGhee for a discussion on solutions to inequality at noon in the Senate Reading Room. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends the Age Strong Senior Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. in Charlestown.

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— "Will bold plan for Boston high schools get traction this time?" by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "Year after year, mayor after mayor, plans are hatched to transform Boston high schools – many of which have poor outcomes in subpar facilities – only to see them fade away unrealized as attention turns to other issues. Mayor Michelle Wu vowed that this time would be different, as she announced a set of big plans on Tuesday that would dramatically remake two high schools and bring major changes to two others."

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— "Two Republicans to jump into race for open Senate seat last held by Anne Gobi," by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: "[State Rep.] Peter Durant plans to formally announce his campaign Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the Holden Common. Rebekah Etique, the 24-year-old former campaign manager of the last Republican to challenge Gobi and lose, said she will also seek her party's nomination."

— "Incumbent city councilors face challenges in Holyoke municipal races," by Dennis Hohenberger, Springfield Republican.

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— "Showing kids porn ‘an innocent mistake,’ former Select Board member says," by Norman Miller, MetroWest Daily News: "A former Select Board member who was arrested last week after he allegedly showed pornography on his phone to children called it ‘an innocent mistake.’ David Parry, 80, also said his unfamiliarity with a new cellphone led to the incident."

— "Feds offer little help with asylum seeker costs," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Massachusetts is spending millions of dollars to provide emergency housing, food and legal assistance for thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, but isn't getting much help from the federal government. … In May, FEMA announced that $350 million of that would be distributed through its soon-to-be-phased-out Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which provides grant money to municipal governments and nonprofit groups. Boston received only about $877,000, according to the federal agency."

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— "Mass. postal workers rally to protest cuts, warn of moves to privatize," by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette.

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TRANSITIONS — Sarah Butler is now director in the office of the executive secretariat at the Department of Energy. She most recently was deputy chief of staff for operations for Sen. Ed Markey.

— Commonwealth Care Alliance has named Frank Scalise as CFO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee; former state Rep. and past Cambridge City Councilor Tim Toomey; Kevin Sprague and Isaac Luria.

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